Advent’s ‘Green Team’ recycling program is a congregation-led ministry focused on reducing waste, managing waste collection, and promoting earth stewardship. This program pairs recycling bins next to every trash can, will host special collection drives for hard-to-recycle items like Styrofoam or electronics, and provide educational resources for members.

Core Activities:

• Facility Collection: Placing side-by-side recycling and waste bins for paper bulletins, cardboard, and beverage containers.
• Special Drives: Hosting periodic drop-off events for electronics, textiles, or foam densification.
• Community Resources: Creating local reuse and unusual recycling directories for items local haulers do not accept.
• Education: Sharing creation-care tips in weekly bulletins and newsletters.

The Green Team works to help decrease the effects of global warming and seasonal changes in our environment by lowering our carbon footprint through recycling items that would otherwise end up in landfills.

We have decreased the number of disposable items used during coffee hour, potluck and other shared meals by changing from plastic eating utensils to flatware, and from paper to reusable plates and glasses. Advent has been using
non-disposable mugs for coffee and tea for many years, thereby eliminating Styrofoam cups from the trash stream.
We reuse, repurpose, and recycle as many items as possible and are encouraging our members to join in the efforts at home as well as at church. We have members who use a recycling company that takes items not recycled by the companies contracted with the municipalities, making it possible to keep items like batteries, electronic devices, bubble wrap, and
candy wrappers out of the landfills and put to good use.

The Green Team is looking for others to join in our efforts. Meetings are usually held on the 3rd Friday of each month in the Fireside Lounge. Please contact Lin Holly, Joan or Tom LaRose, or Pastor Alena for more information.

Explore practical waste reduction ideas:

https://scienceforthechurch.org/2022/04/19/helping-your-church-make-green-choices/

Green Team Toolkit:

https://umcreationjustice.org/green-teams-resources/

Recycling Guidelines:

Recycling Guidelines (updated August 2025)

Recycling Project Calendar

• October: plastic bread ties

• November: clean, empty candy wrappers

• December: plastic bread bag closers

• January: Christmas lights